ALOR SETAR — Kedah Darul Aman FC (KDA FC) head coach, Mohd Nafuzi Zain, expressed his appreciation to his players, who displayed a convincing performance in the Super League match against Negeri Sembilan FC, yesterday, despite the salary arrear issues.
He said that, in the match, the players were able to focus and win, and hoped that it could continue in the next match, to hunt for second place in the league and a ticket to the Asian Football Confederation Cup (AFC) next season.
“I am very grateful to my players. We understand the situation (salary arrears) but in terms of players’ commitment, they still give 100%, and they still attend training.
“It may be tough, but the players already understand the situation and know the actions taken by the management, who promised to resolve it,” he said at a press conference after the match, which saw KDA FC defeat Negeri Sembilan 3-0 at the Darul Aman Stadium.
Yesterday, the owner of the KDA FC team, Tan Sri Dr Mohd Daud Bakar, confirmed that the team is currently facing financial problems, which have resulted in unpaid salaries of players, coaches and team officials since August.
Meanwhile, Negeri Sembilan’s head coach, K. Devan, said that injuries sustained by several key players were among the factors in the team’s defeat.
He said that only two imported players could play and that he could not stop Kedah’s attack which was seen dominating the game in all positions.
“We had a few chances, but couldn’t score a goal. I think the weakness in the defence and the players’ fitness not being at the level it should be, was why we lost the game,” he said. — October 29, 2023